GROW SD Grant Supports Faulkton Elevator Mural

Monday, July 09, 2018

GROW South Dakota has received a grant that will support a unique mural going up in Faulkton this summer. Australian artist Guido van Helten, who has created large murals on public buildings around the world, will be painting images representative of the people of the Faulkton area on the grain elevator there. GROW SD received a grant from a Rural Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) program meant to support arts and culture projects that help drive economic development.

Van Helten was recruited to Faulkton to paint the Agtegra elevator in order to create a one-of-a-kind South Dakota artwork in the town of 800. The experience of the small, remote town of Brim in Victoria, Australia, encouraged Faulkton leaders to reach out to the artist. A town of 250, Brim was about to lose its only store when van Helten painted a mural on the town’s grain elevator a few years ago. Thanks to the mural, that store as well as a previously closed café are open, and Brim still averages 1,000 visitors a month. The community is looking forward to economic opportunities arising from the project. Many organizations, businesses, and individuals have contributed to the mural.

You May Also Be Interested In:

Success Story: A Safe and Sound Home

Robert and Nicole Ingvalson have discovered that a safe & sound home creates so much more than just a roof over their head. The recent completion of some major home repairs, made possible by funding through GROW South Dakota and NeighborWorks America/Wells Fargo’s Safe and Sound Initiative, prompted the couple to state, “There is so much less stress in our lives knowing that these things are taken care of; the furnace and water heater are so much more efficient. We will definitely save money on propane use and electricity this winter. No more worrying about how we can possibly afford to have the house shingled. No deciding between things we need for us or the kids and things that need to get done on the house.” Learn More